Chapter 241: The Disaster Begins

It's just that although Lengao committed this mistake, the Yun Li family never saw anyone come to accuse them of letting their young ones release poisonous snake hatchlings that bite people.

When asked whether Lengao still remembered which beastman his brother had bitten before, Lengao said it was an odd beastman that the adults couldn't see, but he always secretly followed behind their young ones, trying to lure them to a place without adults using food.

But who knows that Lengao's household not only never lacks food, but also has been repeatedly warned by his parents that they must not eat others' things indiscriminately; even if they want to eat something from another household, they must get the family's permission.

So that odd beastman never succeeded; finally, Lengao grew fed up with it, and after Xi Yun's reminder, he took his own brother along to try to scare it.

As a result, after that incident, Lengao never saw that odd beastman again.

……

The Silver Eagle Tribe suddenly went under martial law, and moreover, the Patrol Team began going door to door to tell beastman families with young ones to protect their own youngsters.

"What happened? Did a family's young ones get into trouble in the tribe?"

A clueless beastman grabbed the patrol beastman who came to inform them, just to ask what was going on.

"A few young ones in the tribe have suddenly disappeared these past two days; the Young Master has asked us to help look for them. If your family has young ones, be sure to keep a closer watch, don't be like those families whose youngsters claim they slipped out on their own.

They have no self‑preservation ability at all; running out like that is just reckless, isn't it?"

The patrol beastman gave the beastman a brief reply, then waved for others to continue the search.

"If you've searched here, move on to the next spot; everyone be swift. Whether a person is still in the tribe, give a word to others—after all they're young ones, so don't consider it a bother."

The beastmen who followed shouted their assent loudly, none complained about the effort.

Although this grand‑scale help in finding young ones was their first time, in just a few days seven or eight youngsters have vanished, each from different homes.

If the patrol beastmen still can't spot the problem, they'd truly be seen as fools by others.

Gong Mei also led a patrol team to search for the young ones, and they were lucky to find two female youngsters in a dilapidated hut, already transformed into beast bodies and sleeping as if dead.

Elsewhere, other patrol teams found no good news, but by night three youngsters who claimed they had slipped down the mountain were returned by beastmen from a small tribe below the mountain.

At this point, only two male youngsters and one female youngster remained missing.

Even after the patrol team turned the whole tribe upside down and sent people down the mountain to question the small‑tribe beastmen who hadn't left, they still got little information.

Meanwhile, most beastmen in the tribe, after initial vigilance and panic, soon returned to their usual demeanor.

That night, Gong Mei arrived at Yun Li's home with her two Beast Husbands.

Yun Li was surprised to see her come so late and asked, "Did something happen?"

"Well, there's a question I can't figure out, so I came to ask you."

Gong Mei said this while scanning the courtyard, only seeing a single beastman—her—bringing a group of young ones home.

She furrowed her brow, "Why is it just you, a beastman, at home?"

Where have her Beast Husbands gone?

A few youngsters heard this and instantly became displeased, asking why they called their mother a beastman at home when they were also there.

"Aunt Gong, hello! Father and the others are busy with matters, so they told us to stay home and keep Mother company."

Because Gong Mei's two males, upon entering the courtyard, assumed a stance of standing aside without intervening in the two females' conversation, the male youngsters like Lengao hesitated at the scene, and then Lengshuang stepped forward first to speak.

Gong Mei raised her hand and patted Lengshuang's head, "You are still youngsters; just not making a fuss at home with your mother is already good enough."

Not to mention A Li still has other youngsters to look after; a single beastman at home is indeed very inconvenient.

Lengshuang pressed his lips together, about to say something, but Yun Li waved her over at that moment.

"Usually when Mu Qing and his group are home they do cause a bit of a ruckus, but today, knowing that their grandfather and father have matters and will return later, each of them is being very well‑behaved.

Here, the four snake hatchlings just ate, and they were the ones who fed them."

As for the eagle hatchlings, they were naturally placed in Jicheng with the Priest, perhaps under the Priest's care or maybe his grandfather's.

After all, a single beastman like Yun Li at home truly can't look after so many youngsters, even though Lengao and the others, after hearing Mu Qing and Leng Xiu, behaved very responsibly tonight.

But this isn't a long‑term solution; no matter how well‑mannered the youngsters are, they won't stay like this for long.

Gong Mei's family also has youngsters, so she knows Yun Li's words are merely pleasant talk.

When her five youngsters first hatched, the whole family was overjoyed, but later Gong Mei couldn't smile; every day the household had to leave two or three Beast Husbands in the tribe to watch them, fearing the five would cause trouble with no one to supervise, and at night when they returned home they still couldn't be found.

Moreover, at home there is constant commotion; Gong Mei can't understand why the youngsters, though so frail, are more energetic than adult beastmen every day.

"Then shouldn't one or two Beast Husbands come back? Otherwise, it's already dark, and you're all about to go to bed?"

Gong Mei said that while sitting down, and Yun Li quietly gave Lengshuang two instructions, then sent her to play with the older and younger brothers, after which she looked at the seated female and smiled, saying:

"Isn't that you? Perfect timing for a chat. You came because of those three youngsters, right?"

Logically, those three youngsters have nothing to do with Gong Mei; after the previous uproar, now aside from the youngsters' families, few beastmen would be inclined to come knocking to ask her about the situation.

Or perhaps Gong Mei heard something from someone?

"What else could there be besides this?"

Gong Mei is here tonight because she indeed heard something from Xin, but that person now holds some authority in the tribe; after a busy day, they lack the energy to come find Yun Li to discuss it.

So she asked about the situation, "What is the current state? Can you reveal a bit to us?"

If Gong Mei didn't know, it would be fine, but since she does, not asking would keep her uneasy.

Yun Li: "It's not that we can't share a bit, but just have you later tell Xin and A Yu, and keep it from everyone else."

"Alright!"

Gong Mei responded eagerly, "Then go ahead."

"The tribe previously received reports that several small tribes in the northern Heiyan Shanmai had been invaded by outsider beastmen, and several of those small tribes have mysteriously vanished.

And from Youbuluo, the information indicates they took in some beastmen fleeing from the north; those beastmen said initially only a few youngsters disappeared, later turning into female disappearances.

Further details…

Yun Li gave Gong Mei a helpless, worried look, "So Ji Xuan and his group are investigating not just the three missing youngsters, but whether any of those outsider beastmen harbor malicious intent."